


and i'll be with you wherever you go

by trappedoutside124



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:33:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedoutside124/pseuds/trappedoutside124
Summary: Throughout her life, Morgan feels the absence of her dad in everything she does.A short fic about key moments in Morgan's life where she misses Tony the most. Endgame spoilers (obviously!)





	and i'll be with you wherever you go

Morgan Stark was a daddy's girl from the minute she was born. 

Tony never put her down while Pepper was resting in the hospital. He stayed awake for days (which was nothing new to him) just staring down at her face, all puffy and soft and swaddled in a pink blanket. He hovered over the nurse's shoulder when she weighed Morgan and gave her a bath. When they took Morgan back to the cabin, Tony sat her crib right next to the bed. If she so much as breathed a little harder than normal, Tony was out of bed and standing over the crib in no time, eyes sweeping over her body to make sure she was okay. 

For the first five years of her life, this was the father that Morgan had. He built her suits, played with her in forts, took her on rides on the four-wheeler. He and Pepper took turns tucking her in at night, reading countless bedtime stories and singing lullabies until their throats were soar. Still, for every good moment, Morgan was smart enough to see the bad. Sometimes, she'd go upstairs to look for her Dad only to find him still tucked under the covers at three in the afternoon, curtains drawn and door closed. "Daddy's just having a sad-day, today. He'll be better soon," Pepper would tell her, picking her up and taking her downstairs so Tony could rest. "C'mon, let's make some dinner together. You can be my assistant chef." Morgan was too young to comprehend what the universe had gone through before she was born. All she knew was that sometimes, it meant her Dad struggled to eat, or to pay attention, or to get out of bed. 

The fact that her Dad was present in every aspect of her life made his absence that much more pronounced. Looking back, Morgan always had a nagging sense that her father wouldn't be around forever. It felt like Tony was trying to put a lifetime of love into Morgan's life early just in case something ever happened. 

In the days after the funeral, Morgan was overwhelmed by people in her house that she'd never met before. First, there was Peter, who she'd only seen in photos. Then, there was a man named Nick and a woman named Carol, and Steve Rogers (who Morgan recognized from a photo in the box of things hidden in her parents closet that Morgan was Not Supposed To Touch Or Look At). As the weeks went on, only Uncle Rhodes, Happy, and her Mom were left at the Cabin. Now, it was her mom who would sleep in until 3 PM on some days. Morgan would push open the door to the master bedroom and crawl into bed beside Pepper, folding her small body around her mother's. Together, they'd lay in bed until Rhodes came in and swept Morgan away downstairs to let Pepper rest.

As the years went on, Morgan continued to feel the loss of her father in every aspect of her life. 

When she was ten, her fifth grade class was having their annual Daddy-Daughter dance. Morgan was not lacking in the "honorary dad" department. She had Rhodes and Happy, for starters. She had Peter, who had declared himself her older brother and lifetime-protector-of-Morgan-from-danger. Uncle Sam and Mr. Barnes were willing to come, too. In the end, however, it didn't matter how many "dads" Morgan brought (which was three, by the way: Rhodes, Happy, and an unexpected-but-appreciated Carol Danvers, who flew in the minute she heard that Morgan needed someone to take her to the dance), she still missed her _real_ dad. It was him she wanted to slow dance with and eat cheese sticks with and take stupid pictures in the photo booth with. 

When she was 15, Morgan enrolled at Midtown High School, the same school Peter went to when he was her age. It had been ten years since her Dad saved the universe and sacrificed himself for the good of all. On the first day of school, Pepper took about a billion photos of her in the doorway of their Manhattan penthouse. "Mom, can I please go? We're gonna be late!" Morgan complained with a smile. Pepper rolled her eyes and tucked her phone back into her pocket. "Fine, fine. I'll stop. C'mon, I'll drive you to school." 

Upon stepping out of the car, Morgan realized how scared she was. She was at the bottom of the food chain at a brand-new high school. With a gulp, she turned back around to face her Mom. Pepper could see the fear on her daughter's face. "Don't worry, Mo. You'll do great. After school we can go get some food from that Indian place down the block and you can tell me all about it!" Morgan tried to smile as her Mom drove away. Still, in her state of worry, all she wanted was to hear her Dad's voice. She could picture him embarrassing her by walking her to the front door, patting her on the head and telling her how much he loved her. He'd make a big show of doing it where everyone could see in true Stark fashion. 

She wondered if he'd be proud of her. 

She hoped he would be. 

At 16 years old, Morgan had her first heartbreak. She'd been going out with this guy from school only to find out he'd been seeing someone else on the side. Currently, Morgan was curled up on the couch in a ball, her head resting in Pepper's lap. Her mom was brushing through her hair with her fingers, trying to help Morgan stop crying. Morgan felt like there was a hole in her heart that would never close; how would she ever love anyone again? Upon telling her mom this, Pepper just chuckled and rubbed a hand over Morgan's shoulder. "Sweetie, you are 17. I didn't meet your father until I was much older than you. You have _time_." Before Morgan could reply, Peter, now pushing thirty and married to MJ, burst into the apartment. 

"Where is he? I'll kick his ass," He blurted out, jumping around the room and searching under objects like Morgan's boyfriend would be hiding under the sofa. MJ appeared behind him in the doorway, holding a quart of ice cream and four spoons. After a whole lot of ice cream and a whole lot of Peter's bad jokes, Morgan finally began to feel better. Still, when she put her head on her pillow. She couldn't stop the tears from coming. 

"Dad," she cried into her pillow, "I miss you so much." She wanted him to be here to hold her, to tell her that boys are stupid and that she shouldn't even be dating until she's 25 and that he can definitely send a few missiles to blow up his apartment if she wanted. 

"Besides," he would say, "I'm the only guy you need in your life." 

That was one truth that Morgan believed wholeheartedly. 

At 18 years old, Morgan graduated from Midtown High School. She was Valedictorian with a near full ride to Brown University. She had by far the most people attend the ceremony. Happy, Rhodes, Peter, MJ, Uncle Sam, Mr. Barnes, the Bartons, Carol Danvers, Wanda, and countless others were sitting in the crowd next to Pepper. The took up a row-and-a-half, especially since Peter and Sam brought signs to wave around. 

Afterwards, they all went to the Starks' Cabin to celebrate. Morgan took turns taking pictures with everyone and posing in her cap and gown. She took photos with Peter's new baby boy, Benjamin Anthony Parker. It was a whirlwind of happy tears and funfetti cake and streamers everywhere. After all the guests had left, Pepper and Morgan went to sit on the dock in front of the lake. Neither of them had to say a word; the both just held each others' hands and cried. 

"Mo, he would be so, so proud of you. He _is_ so, so proud of you," 

"God, I miss him every day," Morgan replied, swiping at her eyes. Pepper pulled her daughter closer and pressed a kiss to her head. 

"I miss him, too." 

At 25, Morgan got married to a wonderful man she met in graduate school. They got married at the Barton's farm on a sunny day in May. On the day of the wedding, she was not nervous like she thought she would be. Instead, she felt eerily calm. Her dress was simple ivory with long sleeves. Barely visible was the tattoo at her collarbone that she got the month prior. It was a simple phrase that meant the entire world to her: I love you 3000. 

Happy and Rhodes walked her down the aisle, each taking an arm. All of her friends and family were in the audience, even Thor, who she hadn't seen in years. In the front row, a seat was left open next to Pepper, symbolically representing where Tony would sit. Morgan kept that seat in the corner of her eye the entire time. In the sides of her vision, she swore she could see him sitting there in a tux, smiling ear-to-ear. And when it was all over and all the guests went home, Morgan went back out to that chair before she went off to her honeymoon. She squatted down in front of it and smiled. 

"Thanks for coming, Dad. Love you 3000." 

At 30, Morgan had her first child, a screaming baby boy. He came two-weeks early, eager to come into the world and say hello to everyone. They named him Anthony, of course, and everyone who saw him said he was the most handsome baby they'd ever seen in their whole life. The night afterwards, as Morgan was drifting in and out of sleep in her hospital bed, she let her eyes open and drift to the crib where Anthony was sleeping. Tony was standing over it, smiling at him and making faces. Morgan knew she was probably dreaming, but chose to pretend that it was real for only a moment. She wanted to badly to believe that her father was _really_ there meeting his Grandson for the first time. 

"I love you, Dad," she croaked out. Tony walked over to her bed and kissed his daughter on the forehead. 

"I love you 3000, Mo."

**Author's Note:**

> As a prominent member of the Tony Stark Protection Squad, Endgame nearly KILLED ME. I've had the idea for this fic on my brain for so many days now and I had to get it out onto paper--or screen, in this case. Let me know what you think in the comments! I LOVE hearing from you guys!


End file.
